Autodesk Vault Vs Windows Explorer
When using CAD software such as Autodesk AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor, the natural choice is to use the Windows Explorer environment and store files and manage projects and data in Windows folders.
User who use Windows folders can experience limitations and need to do more manual operations compared to using Autodesk Vault to manage their data, however, what are the differences between these two ways of working and is the time and money spent on implementing a new system less than the time spent working in Windows folders?
The answer an overwhelming yes from Vault users, and this blog series will demonstrate the differences, so if you are unsure of why you should stop how you are managing your CAD data in Windows, this blog should answer those questions.Â
What's the Difference?
Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:
- File Management – How do you store and find files and metadata
- Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
- Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
- Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
- IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
- Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
- Version Control – How versions are managed
- Concurrent Design – How do you work on the same project and files
- Collaboration – How do you collaborate with other team members
File Management
Windows Explorer File Management Processes and Techniques
When managing CAD or BIM data using AutoCAD, Inventor or Revit in a Windows Explorer, Network Server or even Cloud Storage environment, users typically:
- Store data in folders
- Sort data or projects by folder
- Descriptive filenames that are complex and long are used to understand what the file is and what it contains
- Find files by clicking through folders and sub-folders or searching by file name
- Have a centralised library of content center files, xrefs, blocks, templates, etc.
- Create multiple ipj files (for Inventor) to manage projects or isolate project specific files
- Updating files and the file metadata on a batch scale using 3rd party tools, such as Inventor task scheduler
Vault File Management
Using a SQL database, Vault managing folder and file entries, queries and file attributes, changing the way files are managed from relying on manual standards, file naming and folder structure procedures to leveraging file metadata and visualisation.
Using Vault, users can still use traditional folder and file naming methods to find files or by using advanced searching criteria, metadata and visualisation, users can the right file.
In the scenario below, we know the file name contains 558, it’s an ipt file and who created it, so by using this criteria, we can filter through the folder structure very quickly to isolate which file/s we are looking for. Search results can also be saved for future use too.
Autodesk Vault vs Windows Explorer - File Management Blog Post
Click the button below to learn more about how Autodesk Vault manages files compared to using Windows Explorer
Reference Management
Windows Reference Management
When files are referenced within a file such as an xref in AutoCAD and Revit or iam, ipt and idw in an Inventor iam
Windows Vs Vault
Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:
- Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
- Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
- Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
- IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
- Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
- Version Control – How versions are managed
Renaming Files
Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:
- Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
- Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
- Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
- IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
- Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
- Version Control – How versions are managed
Copying Files
Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:
- Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
- Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
- Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
- IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
- Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
- Version Control – How versions are managed
IPJ File Management
Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:
- Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
- Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
- Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
- IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
- Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
- Version Control – How versions are managed
Attributes/Properties
Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:
- Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
- Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
- Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
- IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
- Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
- Version Control – How versions are managed
Version Control
Here’s the main differences when working in Autodesk Vault and Windows:
- Reference management – How the systems manage file references such as when files like dwg xrefs are linked into a dwg in an AutoCAD project or with Inventor Assemblies, how sub-assemblies, parts and drawings are managed.
- Renaming Files – How do you rename a file or a batch of files and how it affects other files that reference the renamed file.
- Copying Files – Copying existing files from existing projects and re-using designs.
- IPJ file management (Autodesk Inventor) – Inventor uses IPJ project files and the way they are used in both systems differ.
- Attributes/Properties – How users modify the attributes/properties of files
- Version Control – How versions are managed
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